Luna's Wedding
by Technomad
Summary: At last, Luna Lovegood is getting married...and the whole DA's there to wish her well!  Set in Thanfiction's "DAYDverse" and in continuity with that.


Luna's Wedding

by Technomad

"Oh, I can't believe this day finally came!" Molly Weasley paused in fussing over the fall of Luna's white veil to wipe away some happy tears.

"Why is that, Molly?" Luna's voice was as dreamy as ever. "Did you think I didn't like men? I do." She looked at her matron-of-honour fondly. "If I had known you didn't think I liked men, I'd have shown you that I do."

"No, no need for _that_!" Molly's voice betrayed amusement. "It's just that everybody else in your group's married, but you never seemed to take an interest. You were going off looking for strange animals all the time. I thought you were married to your work."

Neville Longbottom watched with a smile. His grandmother was standing guard outside, otherwise they'd have been swarmed with well-meant offers to help. Every female DA veteran was agog with the news that Luna, whom they'd more-or-less consigned to old-maid status, had found herself a husband. The second the announcements had come via owl post, the DA had been buzzing.

Finally, the moment came. Luna walked forward, taking Mr. Ollivander's arm for her walk down the aisle. Since her father had died a year-and-a-half ago, there had been a lot of speculation about who she would choose for this role. Harry Potter and Neville had both offered, only to be turned down with a smile by Luna.

"It's not that I don't love you, you know," she had explained, "but for this, I do think an older man would be better. And Mr. Ollivander and I share an experience…imprisonment at Malfoy Manor…that you don't. While it was very unpleasant at the time, it left a bond between us that'll always be there." Harry and Neville had looked at each other, in complete understanding.

Neville was up front, acting as Rolf Scamander's Best Man. He had the rings in his pockets, and smiled to himself at Rolf's happy-but-apprehensive expression. He knew that Rolf had been visited by nearly every veteran of the DA, together or individually, and had had it explained to him in very succinct language that if he _ever_ made Luna cry, or betrayed her, or hurt her…there was nowhere he could hide, "and if you run, you'll only die tired." That last had been Hermione Weasley's contribution; her bright smile had not hidden the edge in her voice. In lieu of Xenophilius, Arthur Weasley had also "had a talk" with the groom-to-be, about the proper treatment of a bride.

The bride's side was packed; every surviving DA member and his or her spouse was there, along with many others. The wedding had turned, inadvertently, into a reunion of Dumbledore's Army. Neville watched Luna walking down the aisle, her face wreathed in a radiant smile behind her transparent veil, with Mr. Ollivander wiping tears from his eyes as he prepared to "give away" the girl with whom he'd shared so much, and to whom he'd become nearly as close as her late father. He understood how Mr. Ollivander felt.

Reminded of Luna's parents, Neville looked off to one side of the center dais, where Harry Potter was preparing to officiate. Wizarding photographs of Xenophilius Lovegood and his wife had been placed upright on a table there, and both of Luna's parents were looking very happy to see their little girl finally married off. "After all," Luna had said, "just because they're _dead_ doesn't mean that they're _gone_. And Mummy in particular was always telling me that one day I'd meet a handsome wizard and he'd sweep me off my feet. I wanted to show that they weren't forgotten on this day."

When Mr. Ollivander and Luna came up to where Rolf and Harry Potter awaited them, Luna released Mr. Ollivander's arm and gave him a smile as he joined the groom's party, before turning her attention to Harry. Harry looked rather nervous, but Neville knew that he'd been flabbergasted and felt quite honoured to have Luna select him to officiate at her wedding. Neville had been very pleased to be asked to be Best Man.

OOO

After the wedding, there was a big party. DA members and wizarding naturalists mingled freely, eating Molly Weasley's delicious cooking…she had made it clear that _she_ would be providing the meal…and drinking champagne. Around and among them, the children of what the DA called "The Next Generation" romped and played. There had been no question whatsoever of excluding them; Luna had been "Aunt Lu" to all of them as they grew, and they had been specifically invited. There had been some serious behind-the-scenes quarrelling over who would be ring-bearer and flower-girl, until Luna had settled the question by just not having them. "After all," she had said, "selecting one would mean that the others had been passed over, and I love them all too much to do that." Some of the children were disappointed, but they all bowed to Luna's decision. In some ways, she could handle the Next Generation better than their own parents could, much to her comrades' bewilderment.

Standing along the wall, glass of champagne (courtesy of the Leaky Cauldron; Hannah had insisted on providing the drinks) in his hand, Neville suddenly came to attention as a loud sob echoed through the room. He noticed that he wasn't the only one; every DA veteran in the room had suddenly gone on full alert, with wands appearing from pockets, arm-sheaths and other concealment.

In a second, the source of the disturbance was found. Little Tommy Finnegan, one of the youngest members of the Next Generation, was sitting in a corner, weeping heartbrokenly.

"Tommy!" Susan Finnegan was over there in a heartbeat, with Seamus right behind her. Scooping up her little boy, she held him close, as he cried into her shoulder. Cecily Macmillan, the eldest of all the Next Generation, was casting a beady eye on the other children, silently promising dreadful retaliation to _anybody _who'd made _her baby brother_ cry.

"Tommy, what's the matter? Did somebody do something mean to you?"

"It's not that!" The little boy sobbed, then managed to get himself under control by main force. "It's just that I miss my Aunt Lu!" At this, Cecily visibly stood down, and the other children relaxed. None of them wanted to face off with her.

"What do you mean, darling?" Luna was at Susan's side in a swirl of white lace, her eyes wide with surprise. "I'm right here, dear! I haven't gone anywhere!"

"They said you're going to be 'Mrs. Scamander' from now on! That means you can't be my 'Aunt Lu' any more! And I _love my Aunt Lu_!"

"Oh, darling…" Scooping Tommy out of his mother's arms, Luna held him close, letting him rest his head on her shoulder. "I'll still be your Aunt Lu, as long as I live. It's just that I now have a new last name. And now I'll be able to have some children of my own! You'll get to meet them, and teach them things, and show them how to do things! Won't that be fun?"

"I guess…" Tommy sounded rather doubtful, but at least he wasn't crying any more. "You _promise_? You aren't going to stop being my Aunt Lu?"

"I promise, darling. I'll be your Aunt Lu forever and ever. And the same goes for the rest of you," Luna added, having noticed that several of the other younger Next Generation members had seemed to think that Tommy had a good point. "I may be Luna Scamander…but I am, and I'll always be, Aunt Lu, too."

"And we'll always love you," said Cecily Macmillan, coming over to give Luna a hug around the waist. That sentiment won general approval, as the other children of the Next Generation gathered around to be hugged.

Neville was standing close to Arthur and Molly Weasley. Both of them were dabbing at their eyes.

Molly said: "You know, I knew her mother very well. Luna's very like her mother. And at times like this, I can almost feel that her mother's not far away."

For a second, Neville thought that he saw them…Luna's parents, all but transparent, standing near their daughter and smiling happily to see her on her wedding day. He blinked, and the image was gone. He never could decide if he'd actually seen something, or if he'd had a glass of champagne too much.

END


End file.
